Best Credit Unions Anyone Can Join

Some credit unions require members to meet strict criteria or pay high membership fees, but in many cases, it can be easy and cost-effective to join a credit union. Among the credit unions with open membership, GOBankingRates evaluated the best credit unions based on the following factors:

The Best Credit Unions Anyone Can Join

You can consider joining a credit union without worrying about meeting certain criteria — some credit unions have minimal eligibility requirements. GOBankingRates has identified some credit unions that anyone can join; listed here are those that require a small, one-time donation — between $5 and $25 — to join. Donations go toward charities or foundations supported by each credit union.

What Is a Credit Union?

Credit unions are nonprofit organizations that function like banks. A credit union is owned and controlled by its members — the people who actually use its services. Credit unions return profits to members in the form of reduced fees, higher savings rates and lower interest rates on loans.

The best credit unions are sometimes national credit unions, but if you’re not sure what you want, just do an internet search for “What are the best credit unions near me?” Compare a number of institutions, learn what it takes to join a credit union and look into the best online credit unions and nationwide credit unions, too.

GTE Financial Credit Union has high savings rates and a wide variety of financial services. The minimum balance to open a savings account is just $5 and it earns a significant 1.99% APY. Members have a live-chat customer service option, but there is no 24/7 phone support.

2. Alliant Credit Union

How to join: Online, in-store or over the phoneWho can join: Anyone who makes a donation to Foster Care to SuccessFees: $5 minimum to open a High-Rate Savings account, minimum $10 contribution to Foster Care to Success (one-time fee, nonrefundable)

Membership benefits:

Free credit score access

Budget and planning tools

Free bill pay

80,000 surcharge-free ATMs

eDeposit and eDepositPlus

24/7 customer service

Membership perks: N/A

Alliant Credit Union snagged a spot in this list of best credit unions anyone can join because of the 1.11% APY on its High-Rate Savings account and its array of services. Alliant doesn’t offer exclusive discounts — and it doesn’t have a live-chat customer service feature — but it pays a high savings rate.

3. Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union

How to join: Online, in-store or over the phoneWho can join: Anyone who makes a donation to the Affinity Plus FoundationFees: $10 minimum balance to open an account, $25 donation to the Affinity Plus Foundation (one-time fee, nonrefundable)

Membership benefits:

Free checking

Savings accounts for kids

Business services

Online and mobile banking

Integration with Quicken and QuickBooks

Membership perks:

Rebates on buying or selling a home

Car-buying assistance

Insurance discounts for cars and homes

Sprint wireless plan discounts

Discounted tickets to Nickelodeon Universe in the Mall of America and the Orpheum, State and Pantages theaters

The list of best credit unions anyone can join features Affinity Plus because of its full range of financial services and live-chat customer support. You can join by making a one-time donation of $25 to the Affinity Plus Foundation. Members can open the Membership Savings Account and earn 1.00% APY, plus free credit advice, rewards for charitable donations and more.

4. Lake Michigan Credit Union

How to join: Online, in-store or over the phoneWho can join: Anyone who makes a donation to the ALS AssociationFees: $5 minimum balance to open an account, donation to the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Association (one-time fee, nonrefundable)

Eligibility of family members to compete for Lloyd F. Hutt scholarships

Lake Michigan Credit Union offers a variety of financial services and live-chat customer service, but its Member Savings account earns only 0.25% APY and there’s no 24/7 phone support. Still, LMCU members enjoy significant perks, like discounts on Sprint mobile accounts and special LifeLock rates.

5. Connexus Credit Union

How to join: Online, in-store or over the phoneWho can join: Anyone who makes a donation to the Connexus AssociationFees: $5 minimum account balance for a Personal Savings Account, $5 donation to the Connexus Association (one-time fee, nonrefundable)

To join, you can make a one-time, $5 donation to the Connexus Association, a nonprofit that supports charitable organizations like the American Cancer Society, United Way, American Red Cross and more.

6. Northrop Grumman Federal Credit Union

How to join: Online, in-store or over the phoneWho can join: Anyone who makes a donation to the Southern California Historical Aviation FoundationFees: $8 minimum to open a Regular Savings Account, donation to Southern California Historical Aviation Foundation (one-time fee, nonrefundable)

Northrop Grumman offers comprehensive financial services, but no live-chat or 24/7 phone customer service. Members also don’t get some of the perks other credit unions offer and its regular savings account earns 0.28% APY. You can join by making a one-time donation to the Southern California Historical Aviation Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving and displaying regional aircraft artifacts.

7. American Heritage Federal Credit Union

How to join: Online, in-store, by mail or over the phoneWho can join: Anyone who makes a donation to the Kids-N-Hope FoundationFees: $15 minimum to open a Primary Share Savings account, donation to Kids-N-Hope Foundation (one-time fee, nonrefundable)

Membership benefits:

Free checking

Online banking and bill pay

Home, student and auto loans

Credit cards

Membership perks:

Commission rebate of 20 percent when you buy or sell your home

ScoreCard Rewards

Sprint mobile discounts

Auto purchase discounts

Philadelphia-based American Heritage Federal Credit Union requires a small deposit of $15 to open a savings account. The Primary Share Savings account from AHFCU earns only 0.11% APY — one of the lowest on the list — but it offers 0.16% APY on balances of $10,000 or more.

Members also get access to other perks like 4.00% APY on a four-month CD. You can join by meeting eligibility requirements or making a one-time donation to the Kids-N-Hope Foundation, which helps children receive specialized care like music therapy.

Melrose Credit Union provides members with affordable loans and free financial education — and 0.50% APY on its Share Savings Account. It does not offer credit cards, live chat or 24/7 customer service.

Anyone who pays the one-time membership fee of $1 and makes a $25 opening deposit, however, can join. The free EZ Legal Services give members access to free wills, living wills, powers of attorney, healthcare proxies and funeral directives.

9. NASA Federal Credit Union

How to join: OnlineWho can join: Anyone who joins the National Space SocietyFees: $0

NASA Federal Credit Union has a range of financial products and 24/7 customer phone support — but its Prime Savings account requires $5 to open and earns only 0.10% APY. The membership rewards program consist of perks like free, out-of-network ATM transactions and discounts on loan rates.

10. NuVision Federal Credit Union

How to join: OnlineWho can join: Anyone who becomes a member of the American Consumer CouncilFees: $5 opening balance, $5 membership for the American Consumer Council

Membership benefits:

Online and mobile banking and bill pay

Business services

Youth accounts

Loyalty rewards program

Home, auto and student loans

Credit cards

Insurance products

Competitive mortgage rates

Membership perks:

Discounts on SeaWorld tickets, DirectTV and other services

NuVision Federal Credit Union Primary Savings offers a full range of financial services and live-chat customer service, but its Primary Savings account has a minimum opening deposit of $5 and earns only 0.10% APY. It also doesn’t offer a basic, free checking account but you can waive any fees with a minimum balance or other qualifiers. You can join by becoming a member of the American Consumer Council, which provides education and information about consumer products and services.

11. Air Force Federal Credit Union

How to join: OnlineWho can join: Anyone who becomes a member of the Airman Heritage FoundationFees: $5 minimum opening deposit, $25 annual membership to the Airman Heritage Foundation

Membership benefits:

Free checking

No minimum balance

Online and mobile banking and bill pay

Access to 30,000 surcharge-free ATMs

Christmas Club savings program

Cash back rewards

Membership perks: N/A

The Air Force Federal Credit Union serves the financial needs of military members and their families. A regular savings account is just $5 to open but earns only 0.10% APY. Offers include home, auto and student loans — as well as credit cards and customer service via live chat.

To join, you’ll have to meet broad eligibility requirements or become a member of the Airman Heritage Foundation. Membership will cost you $25 for one year, $70 for three years or $300 for a lifetime.

Can Anyone Join a Credit Union?

Typically, you have to meet certain criteria to join a credit union, but there are many different kinds of credit unions. For example, there are credit unions just for military members, employees of certain organizations or members of certain labor unions, churches or alumni associations.

Most credit unions extend membership to family members, so if you have a relative who’s a member, you’re likely eligible to join. And, as you can see, several credit unions do extend membership to everyone. Ultimately, the best way to join a credit union is to find the one that most closely matches your needs.

Methodology: GOBankingRates assessed information about credit unions, including sourcing information from the financial institution provider websites as of Sept. 25, 2017. To comprise this list of the best credit unions anyone can join, GOBankingRates considered the following factors: (1) minimum balance to open an account; (2) savings account APY; (3) variety of products available; and (4) customer service offerings.

GOBankingRatesis a personal finance and consumer interest rate website owned byConsumerTrack, Inc.,an online marketing company serving top-tier banks, credit unions, and other financial services organizations. Some companies mentioned in this article might be clients of ConsumerTrack, Inc., which serves more than 100 national, local and online financial institutions. Rankings and roundups are completely objective, and no institution, client or otherwise, paid for inclusion or specific placement. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author’s alone and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by the companies included in the article.

There’s 5 credit unions – okay.. but you said you were going to give us 10?

GBR Casey

You have to click “next page” for the rest 🙂

Jim Morrison

Remainder

ronkgman

Any Credit Union beats the heck out of any bank that I have ever dealt with in my 69 yrs..:)….BAR NONE!!

Vanessa

According to reviews, all of these are terrible credit unions..

phxpaul

probably rated by people with terrible credit ratings

Rebecca

As a member of State Department FCU, it’s great to see them in this article! SDFCU is a great organization, and in my 10 years as a member, they have been fantastic (even when I lived abroad). Thank you for this article on credit unions – don’t forget about the benefits of the shared branch network!

ERICA E

HELLO, CAN SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHICH IS THE BEST CREDIT UNION IN FT.LAUDERDALE, FL.
I REALLY WANT TO LEAVE MY CURRENT BANK.

VEDER VELARDE

Progressive credit union is by referral only, if any body is a member and don’t mind to give a referral, let me know veder1005@yahoo.com or 347-200-0336.

Carrol Lindsay

I liked the article but can someone tell me more about credit unions in Illinois
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